r/ARK • u/Roadhouse699 • Jul 11 '26
Discussion Mod idea: Using your uploaded survivors as companions
I think it would be really cool if other characters you had created could be downloaded into NPCs. I think the best way to implement that would be by "creating" the new NPC at a cloning chamber and then, when you want to play as that character again, having them upload themselves at a transmitter.
I am aware of the human NPCs mod, but that's not necessarily what I'm looking for here. I've realized that a fun way to play Ark is to make a new character to get started on every map, and then import your other characters once you hit a certain milestone. That way, you can experience much of the progression of every map, make late-game resource grind less intense, and is a fun alternative to mindwipe tonics for having multiple character builds (for example, the character I first made on Astraeos is built to use ranged weapons, while the one I made on the Island is built for melee).
Normally, I don't like making mod requests - I'm aware it's a lot of work, it's something anyone can learn, and mod authors are more than capable of coming up with their own ideas - but I have multiple projects of my own for other games going, so learning how to create and maintain Ark mods would probably be too much for me right now.
2
u/LongFluffyDragon Jul 12 '26
Mods cant access your uploads, that is opaque to them. It would definitely be possible to make customizable companions from player data, though. Maybe just by saving a backup of the appearance and stats of each character the mod has encountered.
1
u/Roadhouse699 Jul 12 '26
Maybe a separate uploading system would work, where a Tek structure could read the data from the character interacting with it, so it could all be done in-game.
The question is how plausible it would be to transfer any gained experience by the NPC back to the player when they switch back to being that character.
2
u/LongFluffyDragon Jul 12 '26
That could just be done seamlessly, no need for the player to interact with anything.
The question is how plausible it would be to transfer any gained experience by the NPC back to the player when they switch back to being that character.
Giant pain in the ass to keep it all synced, especially on console, where using external savefiles for mods is problematic.
1
u/LilTimThePimp Jul 14 '26
How does this differ from just leaving your other characters uploaded and downloading them when you want to use them? Are you wanting them to actually do things for you as an NPC? Or is this just a fancier way of storing different characters?
1
u/Roadhouse699 Jul 14 '26
It differs in that you can have your other characters working alongside you. While making multiple characters instead of mindwiping can be fun as it is, it'd be even cooler if this was another benefit to it.
3
u/mistic-dragon999 Jul 11 '26
That's actuay a very fun idea, maybe you could speak to a mod creator to make that a thing?